June 30, 2008

I caught part of the Gay Pride parade on 5th Ave yesterday and was pleased to see several big brands working the crowd. Google handed out these fans promoting their dedicated job site, but I have to admit that “gayglers” made me giggle.My favorite giveaway of the day was the W hotels branded condoms."Let's check in and use it right now!"

June 27, 2008

Despite what that McDonald’s Dollar Menunaire commercial tells you, the dollar isn't strong. But it seems Norwegian Cruise Line isn’t quite sure where it stands on exchange rates. The dollar is weak. No, the dollar is strong.And here are the other ads in the campaign. I like the map illustrations.I've seen these ads in Grand Central Station and a few subway stops.

June 24, 2008

Nice addition to the campaign for When We Left Earth. 1. Place your face in the cutout hole2. Have someone you trust take your picture.3. Transmit images to friends and family.4. Wait for them to hold ticker tape parade.Good use of the old "send a cell phone pic of this ad to a friend" thing. And extra credit for placing it a block from the Empire State Building. As I walked past, several tourist lined up for shots.

June 23, 2008

I saw two episodes of Swingtown over the weekend. Pretty good show. And then there's this:On an unrelated note, here's another execution from the campaign:Unless your mind is still in the gutter, then three cherries is an orgy. Jackpot!

The Discovery Channel is using some cool photographs to promote their new show "When we left earth."But I didn't think much of these subway ads, until I looked up.It would have been cool to make all the windows look like a space scene. Why not? We’ve seen a train car turned into a tiki bar.

June 18, 2008

Do you remember those old TV-shaped pencil sharpeners with the picture that moved when you wiggled it around?Well, that's a lenticular. And they've come a long way, as you can see it this Crystal Light bus shelter ad:

June 17, 2008

IKEA has a box theme going on to promote its latest store opening: It's a bit easier to read the copy in this shot:And as you can see here, it's real cardboard inside the bus shelter:And this giant box appeared in Union Square last week: It was gone Monday and may or may not (sorry, I’m too busy to figure it out) be related to their online game that requires you to find hidden boxes and text a code to win a shopping spree. They had an artist build big replicas of New York landmarks out of real boxes too.

June 16, 2008

I don't just mean creating it, but pondering its role in society.Either way, you should read “Buying In: The Secret Dialogue Between What We Buy and Who We Are.”Last Wednesday, I met the author, Rob Walker at a reading hosted by Frog Design and finished reading the book over the weekend.In it, he deconstructs how individuals shape and interact with branding, but also points out that the prevailing notion that the consumer is now in control isn’t quite accurate.The dust jacket does a better job of summing it up (which is, after all, its job) by describing the book as part marketing primer and part cultural anthropology.And if you’re not already familiar, check out the archive of his New York Times Magazine “Consumed” column.

June 10, 2008

This ad for Fiji water is so bad, it actually looks embarrassed to be part of this green-washing campaign. Rob Walker of Murketing.com did a nice job of covering Fiji’s repositioning in this article in The New York Times Magazine. Unfortunately, the tactic of trying to make bottled water seem green isn’t new.

June 6, 2008

It’s not easy to make an ad that looks good enough to hang on your wall. But these take one posters for TheTalesOfColt45.com pull it off. Check out copyranter’s take on their shift from homeless to hipster at Animal.